-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sooner or later , James Richter knows the rabbit-ear antennas on his old-fashioned television will listen for a signal and hear nothing .

Old TV sets at a California recycling center last month . Many analog TV owners are n't ready to switch to digital .

The 36-year-old from Atlanta , Georgia , said he tried to convert his analog TV to digital but was turned down for a government coupon . He does n't seem to mind .

`` With the economy , I do n't have enough cash to do cable , so I 'm just really debating whether or not I really want to make that switch to digital , '' Richter said .

Richter will have four months longer to make up his mind after Congress voted Wednesday to delay the end of TV 's rabbit-ears era .

On June 12 , analog TV signals will end and only digital signals will remain . Old televisions like Richter 's wo n't accept the new form of broadcast .

People with cable TV or satellite service will not be affected .

The switch had been scheduled for February 17 , but Congress delayed the conversion -- which had been planned for years -- to accommodate people like Richter who had not been able to update their TVs .

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration offered a program to help people buy converter boxes that make old TVs work in the new era . That giveaway did n't meet demand , though , and as of late January , more than 3.2 million people were on the program 's waiting list .

More than 6.5 million U.S. households , or 5.7 percent , were not ready for the crossover last month , according to an estimate from the Nielsen Company .

There 's been little made of the people behind those numbers , though , as media reports largely have focused on the mechanics of the switch and the politics of when and how it will happen . Many of those who have n't bought converters are poor , older than 55 , rural residents or racial minorities , according to Nielsen 's estimates . Some of them told CNN they could n't afford to pay for cable or satellite TV service .

While a person can live without TV , some of the late converts to digital depend on television for information and companionship .

`` I live here by myself , so it will be a big deal for me , '' said Monica Lawson , a 42-year-old from rural Alto , Georgia . `` Even just a couple hours a day of having that extra interaction , it 's a stress reliever for me . ''

Lawson said she got a coupon to buy the digital converter box for her analog television as soon as they became available . She 's attached the box to her TV , but her signal got worse .

`` Basically I 'm downgrading at this point , '' she said . `` I 'll go from having four or five channels I can watch on a regular basis to having one channel I can watch every now and then -- if at all . ''

Lawson , who is a real-estate appraiser and practices kinesiology , said she ca n't afford satellite service because her business has dropped with the economy .

She falls into a category of people who may lose their TV coverage with the switch to digital . It 's likely the result of a phenomenon called the `` cliff effect . '' While analog signals fizzle out over long distances , digital signals tend to stop completely at a certain falling-off point .

`` With digital , you get a great picture or nothing , '' said Mark Wigfield , spokesperson for the Federal Communications Commission .

Some remote areas of the country could lose reception when analog signals stop in June , said Shermaze Ingram , spokesperson for the National Association of Broadcasters , an advocacy group that has been trying to inform people about the switch since 2006 .

On the whole , studies show more people will get TV signals than will lose them in the switch to digital , Ingram said . The National Association of Broadcasters supports delaying the change until June in part because it will cause fewer people to go without TV after the change .

`` There 's no question that television is an important piece of the fabric of American life , '' Ingram said .

Congress elected to delay the digital switch in part because lawmakers do n't want people to go without TV .

George Touchine , a 64-year-old from Gallup , New Mexico , said he has not gotten a converter coupon yet and can not find the device in local stores . He said he will check back often , though , and hopes to be able to switch to digital in the coming days .

Like Touchine , more than 12 percent of New Mexico households in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque TV market are not ready for the switch , making the area the least prepared in the nation , according to Nielsen .

Being left out of the switch would be a big deal for Touchine . He is retired and says he spends a substantial part of his evening watching TV with his wife .

`` I just watch the news all the time , that 's all I want , '' he said . `` I get the weather , the news , what 's going on -- all of it -- I want to know it . ''

The annoyance of having to convert to digital may push Richter , the man in Atlanta , away from television entirely . iReport.com : ` You snooze , you lose '

Richter said he left a bad job as a local truck driver four years ago and has n't been able to find steady work since . He 's given up luxuries like cable TV , an Internet connection and movie rentals to make ends meet .

He said he applied for the free converter about a month ago but was turned down at least temporarily because all of the coupons had been given out .

He does n't buy the idea that he needs a television to alert him about emergencies or severe weather .

`` I do have a radio and I also have a cell phone . If something 's really , really bad , someone can call me , '' he said . `` And I figure if there 's a nuclear war , it will be everywhere . Someone will let me know . ''

If Richter eventually gets a free converter box , he 'll consider joining the digital TV world . But if not , he said wo n't be angry at the government for the delays .

He thinks he might be better off without all that extra noise .

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Congress delays nationwide switch to digital TV until June 12

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Some of those who have n't switched say they ca n't afford to pay for cable TV

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For some , TV is a companion and a source of comfort

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For others , television is an annoyance . One Atlantan may not switch to digital